How to Ensure that On-the-Job Training is Effective in Your Company

Business Insights
29/07/2020

When you think about all the ingredients that go into making a business successful, much of it points to the employees themselves. You may have the most incredible products and services to offer customers, but without the right employees working in the company, you simply won’t be able to realize the kind of success you had hoped for.


Of course, that doesn’t mean new employees enter into your company completely ready to go knowing all the necessary skills and procedures. There will be on-the-job training that is required. But how can you ensure that this training is not only completed but is done in a streamlined and effective manner, assuring you that the employee is indeed ready for the job?


The good news is that there are a number of tips and pieces of advice you can apply to the training process, making sure that employees are well-equipped to handle the job. Remember, it’s not just about learning the right skills through on-the-job training; it’s also about instilling them with the confidence to do the job properly.


Identify the Skills Necessary for the Job

The first step will be to identify the skills necessary for the job. This can start out rather vague with the basic skills, and from there, you need to get more specific. It’s the specifics that on-the-job training will address.


Figure Out the Best Employee for the Job

Now, perhaps you don’t need to hire on a new employee to tackle this new task or responsibility, rather you want to train an existing employee. This is where a team skills matrix can come in handy to identify each person’s own skillset. It makes it much easier to figure out the on-the-job training process and what will be required and who is best set to take on the new tasks.


On-the-Job Training Can Take the Place of Traditional Workshops

If your company has been in the habit of sending employees to outside workshops for training, on-the-job-training may be a better solution. Keep in mind that a workshop won’t necessarily address the specific skills the employee will need in your organization. A workshop will be more general and basic, whereas when you engage in on-the-job training, you get to be really specific about the tasks, processes, and knowledge.


Allow Employees to Use the Skills and Practices in Real-Time

One thing that can be incredibly difficult for employees, especially new ones to the organization, is to learn through a textbook or manual. When you embrace on-the-job training, they will be able to learn in real-time, which tends to be more effective and allows employees to retain the information much easier.


This is something that AG5 discusses in-depth. This company offers skills management software that can certainly help employers make the most of their staff and ensure everyone is the right fit for the job. Its skills matrix gives employers the ability to map out each employee’s strengths, looking for areas that they can improve on.


Also, it gives employees the opportunity to ask questions in real-time, again boosting the effectiveness of the training process.


Downtime Isn't An Issue

Now, because you're training an employee in real-time on-the-job, there is a reduction in downtime. Sure, things may not be up to the regular speed yet, but they aren't at a standstill. At the same time, the employee isn’t out of the office/workplace attending a training session or course, which again results in downtime.


On-the-Job Training is the Modern Approach to Increasing Skillsets

When it comes to training new and existing employees, and increasing their skillsets, on-the-job training is truly an effective approach that can be embraced by companies of all sizes.